Rossetti, Maria Francesca (1827 - 1876)

Title

Miss Maria Francesca Rossetti

Author

Rossetti, Maria Francesca (1827 - 1876)

Date

17 February 1827 – 24 November 1876

Place of origin

London

Country of origin

England, United Kingdom

Language

Italian

English

Profession

Nun

Author

Biographical details

Maria Francesca Rossetti was an English author and nun. She was the sister of artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Michael Rossetti, and of Christina Georgina Rossetti, who dedicated her 1862 poem Goblin Market to Maria. She was the author of “The Shadow of Dante: Being an essay towards studying himself, his world, and his pilgrimage” (published 1871). She also acted as a governess during the years of family hardship brought on by her father's failing health, and tutored a young Lucy Madox Brown, a future sister-in-law. At the age of 46, Maria joined the Society of All Saints, an Anglican order for women. Lucy Madox Brown wanted to paint her in her habit. She made an English translation of the Monastic Diurnal for her order, The Day Hours and Other Offices as Used by the Sisters of All Saints, which was used by her order until 1922. She, along with her sister Christina, donated her time to the St. Mary Magdalene Home for Fallen Women in Highgate. She unsuccessfully attempted to convert her agnostic brothers on her deathbed. Maria died of ovarian cancer in 1876, despite drawn-out treatments to try to drain the tumor. She was buried in the convent plot at Brompton Cemetery.

Selected publications

The shadow of Dante; being an essay towards studying himself, his world and his pilgrimage

A shadow of Dante : being an essay towards studying himself, his world and his pilgrimage

Link to external sources

Maria Francesca Rossetti - Wikipedia